Arizona weekly enterprise., 1887-10-15
Central Arizona.

Rev. 0. c. Wheeler, of San Francisco, contributes to the Pacific Rural Press the following description of the Gila and Salt river valleys, which he terms "Central Arizona"
 The central portion of Arizona has two large valleys, the Gila and the Salt river, named tor the rivers (the two principal ones in the territory) that run through their length. From these rivers water is taken in ditch es, at such times and places as are deemed desirable, and spread over the land, by ditch and by flow, so as to produce, under the influence of the clear skies and radiant sun that beams upon and over-hang, almost perennially, vol tune and wealth of vegetable growth sell dom found anywhere outside of the tor rid zone. This applies equally well to every production within the range of ag- riculture and pomology.
 In addition to the great idea of ditches, from natural streams, the irrigation by Storage" is now coming intc use, with the prospect of not only meeting present demands, but an assurance that all possi ble requirements of the future will be abundantly supplied. With such topO. graphy as has been described, large num- bers of deep and sharp gorges and can yons and ravines must necessarily exist. These open into others of the same kind, or into the valleys, often having very narrow openings, which can be filled ut comparatively small cost, and thus con6ne at pleasure large bodies of water from the sheds above, to be used as the culturist may desire. And though the streams may, as they often do, "dry up" as Is supposed (which IS merely sinking and running under the sand for a dis tance), these mountain reservoirs have a perennial supply from melting snows, which, in incalculable quantities, pile up every winter on the most elevated points and remain the entire year, giving sup ply that absolutely cannot fail.
 The question of irrigation ill Central Arizona is now settled; that is to say, the feasibility of irrigation, at reasonable cost, all or nearly all of the agricultural lands in the district, is beyond doubt The large supplies from the rivers, through the several canals and ditches, supple mented by the perennial flow from the l numerous storage ponds and lakes in the mountains, leave no room to doubt that every cultivator of the soil will find it easy to obtain all the water he may need. The cultivation of nearly all the lrrig- able lands, especially those in the two great valleys the Gila and Salt river, is less difficult than in most districts else where The soil has a sedimentary sur ace of several feet in depth, very light and porous, generally free from gravel or rocks and stones, such as are usually met with where the land is, in any consider able degree, broken or rolling, and its exceedingly fertile. It is in support of this latter assertion that the Indians oc- cupying the lands now included in the Pima and Gila reservation have cultivate it more than POO years without once changing their seed, and their crop of last year was in character better than the average crop of the states in the up- per Mississippi valley.
 So easy of cultivation Is most of the land in this valley that it is no uncom- mon thing for it to be cleared of the lit tie brush that 1t bears, and with nothing l bub Lls0 ordinary otlftivuevr run offce oveI it, and sowed to some kind of grass or grain, and in three or four months ripen a good crop without ever having been touched with blow. The character of the soil is such and so exactly alike, from the surface to the depth of several feet, that cuttings for raisin grapes are in many cases put into the ground, and make rapid growth, without any pre-. paratiou but single furrow in which tc place them. The description here given of the Salt river valley is equally appli cable to the Gila and other adjacent val leys of this whole central portion of the territory.